At a Glance

A Short Portrait of Freie Universität Berlin

EXCELLENCE ON A GREEN CAMPUS

Freie Universität Berlin is a young, international university with a unique

history. It is one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany. In the

global competition among universities Freie Universität takes its place as an

international network university. The university’s offices abroad in Beijing,

Brussels, Cairo, New Delhi, New York, Moscow, and São Paulo provide a plat-

form for international cooperation. In the 2017 ranking of the Times Higher

Education magazine, Freie Universität was listed among the five best German

universities. In the same ranking the humanities at Freie Universität were

found to be among the best 20 globally. The Funding Atlas issued by the Ger-

man Research Foundation also places Freie Universität among the top five

German universities. Located in the quiet southwestern part of Berlin, the

university is part of one of the largest research sites in Europe.

The Philological Library designed by Lord Norman Foster is surrounded by the building complex

housing the humanities and social sciences. Freie Universität offers excellent working conditions in

a relaxed atmosphere.

FREEDOM CARRIES AN OBLIGATION

Freie Universität Berlin was founded by students

and scholars on December 4, 1948, with the sup-

port of the American Allies and Berlin politicians

as a response to the persecution of students criti-

cal of the system at Universität Unter den Linden

in the Soviet sector of the divided city of Berlin.

These students and scholars wanted to study,

teach, and carry out research at Freie Universität,

free of political influence. Thanks to generous do-

nations from the United States, Freie Universität

was able to construct several new central building

complexes including the Benjamin Franklin university hospital complex and

the Henry Ford Building, the central lecture building. Based on its founding

tradition, Freie Universität’s seal bears the Latin terms for truth, justice, and

liberty. The university presents its Freedom Award to public figures who have

made a special contribution toward the cause of freedom, among them the

musician Daniel Barenboim, the former chief prosecutor of the International

Criminal Tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Carla Del Ponte, and

the South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The Henry Ford Building was

constructed between 1952 and

1954 as the main lecture buil­

ding.

In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave a programmatic speech at Freie Universität.

INTERNATIONAL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

The founding of Freie Universität Berlin was facilitated through internation-

al support, and international impulses have shaped its research and teaching

ever since. In order to survive, both on an academic and an intellectual level,

Freie Universität established connections from its geographically isolated

position in West Berlin to organizations and personalities in Western Germa-

ny, Europe, and the world beyond. What began as a necessity rapidly evolved

into a successful strategy: currently, Freie Universität has approximately

180 partnerships with scholarly institutions worldwide. The university is a

drawing card for researchers from abroad. Freie Universität is the location

in Germany most often selected for visiting scholars through the Alexander

von Humboldt Foundation. Twenty-two percent of the students and doctoral

students come from abroad.

People from 130 countries come together at Freie Universität.

YOUNG UNIVERSITY – RICH TRADITION

Freie Universität is located

in the leafy residential dis-

trict of Dahlem in south-

western Berlin. Various types

of research institutions are

located here, including four

Max Planck Institutes, the

Zuse Institute Berlin, and

the German Federal Insti-

tute for Materials Research

and Testing. Around the be-

ginning of the 20th century,

following Prussia’s plans

to establish a “German Ox-

ford,” Dahlem developed

into a center for research of

the highest caliber. The first

new buildings housed gov-

ernment science agencies

and new research institutes

of the University of Berlin.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Society

– forerunner of the present-day Max Planck Society – was founded in 1911

and established several institutes in Dahlem. A dynamic group of researchers

carried out pioneering research resulting in numerous Nobel Prizes, includ-

ing Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and Werner Heisenberg. Since its founda-

tion, Freie Universität has been using buildings formerly belonging to the

Kaiser Wilhelm Society and, in addition, has added numerous architecturally

innovative buildings.

Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Straßmann all did re­

search in this building, where nuclear fission was discov­

ered. Today the Hahn­Meitner Building is used by biochem­

ists of Freie Universität.

INNOVATION AND HIGH PERFORMANCE

The years 1968, 1990, and 2007 are milestones in the history of Freie Univer-

sität. During the 1960s, the university was the scene of student protests that

provided the impulse for more openness, equality, and democracy. After

German unification in 1990, Freie Universität Berlin revamped itself. The

university’s research performance increased markedly, due partly to empha-

sis placed on specific cross-disciplinary research areas. The year 2007 was

another important year for Freie Universität: it was the university with the

highest number of approved funding applications in the German Excel-

lence Initiative, becoming one of the Universities of Excellence in Germany.

In 2012, Freie Universität succeeded in defending this title in the second

round of the Excellence competition. In the new round of the Excellence

competition, called Excellence Strategy, Freie Universität is joining forces

with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The four institutions are applying

together.

A new building complex was opened in the spring of 2015. It houses numerous smaller academic

departments.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Students: approx. 33,000 | Professors: 357, incl. 48 joint appointments with

non-university research institutes; 136 fixed-term professors | Departments

and Central Institutes: 11 Academic Departments, 1 joint Medical School

with Humboldt-Universität, 4 Central Institutes | Degree Programs: 178 |

Doctoral Programs: 52 | Collaborative Research Centers: 10 as host university

and 9 as participating institution; 4 as part of Charité – Universitätsmedizin

Berlin, and 9 as participating institution | Government Subsidies: 329 mil-

lion euros, 26 million euros of this amount is for pension and health plans

(2017) | Expended External Funds: 132 million euros (2017)

The figures are from 2018 and exclude Medicine, unless stated otherwise.

Freie Universität’s Botanic Garden is one of the largest of its type in the world. It attracts 300,000

visitors annually.

VARIETY IN SUBJECT AREAS AND RESEARCH

The broadest spectrum of research in the humanities in Germany at Freie

Universität Berlin comes together under the auspices of the Dahlem Human-

ities Center. One unique feature is the large number of specialized subjects

such as Ancient Near Eastern studies and Jewish studies. The Center for Area

Studies clusters the regional studies research on North and Latin America,

Eastern Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and individual European coun-

tries. The Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science is the largest political

science institute in Germany. Special emphasis is placed on physics, mathe-

matics, and computer science, as well as the life sciences and Earth sciences.

The broad spectrum also includes the Department of Veterinary Medicine,

one of five veterinary schools in Germany. Charité – Universitätsmedizin

Berlin is the medical school jointly operated by Freie Universität Berlin and

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Freie Universität Berlin is one of the best research universities in Germany.

STUDYING IN A STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT

About 33,000 students are enrolled in 178 degree programs. The centrally

located Student Services Center is the first point of contact for advice about

studying at Freie Universität Berlin. There are several mentoring programs

to support students in all the

different phases of study-

ing. Exchange programs for

students have played an im-

portant role from the very

beginning: the first exchange

students went to Stanford

University, U.S.A., in 1949.

Currently, Freie Universität

participates in the programs

Erasmus+ and Promos, which

is organized by the German

Academic Exchange Service

(DAAD). The university also

maintains agreements with

90 universities for direct ex-

change. According to statis-

tics from the DAAD, Freie

Universität is one of the three

most important host univer-

sities in Germany for Eras-

mus participants from other

countries, and it is the uni-

versity in Germany that sends the most students abroad with a DAAD schol-

arship. Junior researchers are supported in structured doctoral programs

under the auspices of Dahlem Research School.

The Philological Library has excellent facilities for

both students and faculty. It contains 750,000 printed

volumes.

CAREER AND ENTERPRISE

The general career preparation courses in the bachelor’s degree programs

and the Career Service of Freie Universität help to prepare students for the

workplace. In addition, Freie Universität encourages the formation of com-

panies by its students, graduates, and faculty. Freie Universität along with

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is one of twelve universities in Ger-

many to be recognized by the German Federal Ministry of Economics for its

strategy for supporting start-ups. A center for company founders can offer

young entrepreneurs office space with 100 work areas as well as advice and

support during their start-up phase. Numerous successful companies have

emerged from the university environment, e.g., whether as spin-offs in in-

formation technology or the natural sciences or as service providers. Freie

Universität has been the recipient of various employer awards, including

awards for the introduction of environmental protection measures and for

the exemplary management of human resources facilitating equal opportu-

nities. The Dual Career and Family Service offers support to employees and

students with balancing the responsibilities of family and professional life.

Freie Universität also has a program to promote health.

Various research projects have resulted in new business ideas.

COSMOPOLITAN AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Researchers at Freie Universität Berlin regularly open their institutes, labo-

ratories, and libraries to the public, for example, during the Long Night of

the Sciences or open house days. The Center for Cooperation with Schools

organizes various activities open to schoolchildren. These include a chil-

dren’s university and a summer school with many activities in the special

labs for schoolchildren, NatLab and PhysLab. Many lectures on a variety of

topics, as well as courses in the Guest Card Program are open to the public.

The university confers honorary doctorates on outstanding individuals from

Germany and abroad: these include the Nobel Prize winners in Literature,

Orhan Pamuk and Imre Kertész as well as the author Salman Rushdie. Freie

Universität has several visiting professorships for appointing acclaimed na-

tional and international writers to teach for a semester. Generally, they hold

an inaugural lecture that is open to the public.

During the Long Night of the Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin has a special program for children.

Freie Universität BerlinKaiserswerther Straße 16 – 1814195 Berlin

Phone +49 30 838-1Email info-service@fu-berlin.deInternet www.fu-berlin.de/en

Photography: Ausserhofer, David (1, 9 mid., 11); Bavaria Luftbild (2), ESA/DLR (9 l.); Himsel, Peter (4, 10); Müller-Naumann, Stefan (6); Töpper, Stephan (12); Universitätsarchiv (3 top); Wannenmacher, Bernd (3, 5, 7)

Published by the President’s Office of Freie Universität Berlin, Office of News and Public Affairs, February 2019

DEPARTMENTS

33 Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy

33 Business and Economics

33 Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the medical school jointly operated

by Freie Universität and Humboldt-Universität

33 Earth Sciences

33 Education and Psychology

33 History and Cultural Sciences

33 Law

33 Mathematics and Computer Science

33 Philosophy and Humanities

33 Physics

33 Political and Social Sciences

33 Veterinary Medicine

CENTRAL INSTITUTES

33 Dahlem School of Education

33 Institute for Eastern European Studies

33 Institute for Latin American Studies

33 John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies